(NewsNation) — Apple will rely on Google to help finish its efforts to smarten up its virtual assistant Siri and bring other artificial intelligence features to the iPhone as the trendsetting company plays catch up in technology’s latest craze.

The deal allowing Apple to tap into Google’s AI technology was disclosed Monday in a joint statement. The partnership will draw upon Google’s Gemini technology to customize a suite of AI features dubbed “Apple Intelligence” on the iPhone and other products.

“After careful evaluation, Apple determined Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models,” Google said, adding that its models will also power other future Apple Intelligence features.

After Google and others took the early lead in the AI race, Apple promised to plant its first big stake in the field with an array of new features that were supposed to be coming to the iPhone in 2024 as part of a ballyhooed software upgrade.

But many of Apple’s AI features remain in the development phase, while Google and Samsung have been rolling out more of the technology on their own devices. One of the most glaring AI omissions on the iPhone has been a promised overhaul of Siri that was supposed to transform the often-confused assistant into a more conversational and versatile multitasker.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.